The Most Important Battles
The battles that took place during The War of 1812 were truly great. Many lives were taken during these battles, but even though all the battles had some kind of impact the most remebered ones were the battle of Baltimore, battle of Fort Detroit (a.k.a. Seige of Detroit)and battle of New Orleans. Battle of Baltimore The battle of Baltimore took place on September 12, 1814, and ended three days later. The battle took place on land and sea. It was important because it was a turning point in the war where American forces invaded the port city of Baltimore, Maryland. The defence of Baltimore 's Fort Henry inspired Francis Scott Key to write a poem which would later become the lyrics of the "Star-Spangled Banner". The Americans were victorious and made the British withdraw. The Americans lost 24 men, 139 were wounded, and 50 men were captured. The British lost 42-46 men, 279-295 men were wounded, with none captured. Two more battles took place in the fight for Baltimore with less casualties and alot more wounded. The wounded would usally die from infection but some were lucky and made it back to the states. Siege of Detroit The Siege of Detroit took place August 15, 1812 and lasted for only one day. It is told that the British had the upper hand from the start. They had Native American allies who used deception and intimidation to win it. The Britsh tricked Commander William Hull into surrendering the fort and town of Detroit, Michigan. They then outnumbered the Americans with their army and defeted them with ease. The win over the Americans helped encourage the military and civilians of Upper Canada who had given up hope due to the large numbers of American militia. The 7 people were killed from the United States and 2,493 were captured. Only 2 men were wounded from the British army. Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was the last major battle within the War of 1812. The battle started in January 8th, 1815, there were series of battles that took place during it and a specific end of the main battle was never really set. The leading American commander was Major General Andrew Jackson who used his skills to defeat a invading British Army with hopes of seizing New Orleans. The U.S. military had a army of 4,000 men and 16 artillery pieces. The British had a strengh of 11,000 men! 55 of the U.S.' men were killed, 185 were wounded, and 93 went missing during the battle. The British lost 386 men, 1,521 were wounded, and 552 went missing. This victory was known as the greatest land battle in American History. All of the U.S. commanders survied without any wounds, while the British's lead commander was killed in action and another was wounded. After the defeat of 2 of their strongest leaders the British army was becoming more and more fragile. The Native Americans could only do so much with thier limited numbers and lack of weponry. This gave the Americans the upper hand, but the main reason they lost is because the Americans had a strong army and a smart and adgile commander to hep them win.